I first met him in ~1993 when I was just getting into pool. I got a job as the graveyard shift guy at a local pool hall for the free pool, and heard that Strickland would be there for an exhibition to promote Cuetec cues. I'd never seen him play, so I made sure to be there to watch.

I walked in to a crowd around one of the snooker tables watching him. I pushed my way through in time to see him try a long pot diagonally on the 12 foot table. He missed, and the ball rung off 2 rails and fluked into the pocket he shot from. Whatever, everyone can miss.

He set the shot up and tried again. Again he missed, and again he miraculously fluked it into the same pocket again. What are the odds?

He proceeded to set up and make the 2 rail bank lengthwise on the snooker table 2 more times before I realized that he hadn't been fluking them in at all. It absolutely blew my mind that anyone could be that good at anything.

The guy might be a tremendous douchebag sometimes, but you have to admit he can be incredible at what he does.

I've always been a fan of Earl even if he has been a bit volatile. Maybe it's because when I first started playing (1990) he was just getting big and really, pool was exploding then too so my early years playing were bound up with what Earl was doing.

The sad thing about this documentary is that you can see how heartbroken he is about the state of the game. Everyone always talks so much about how talented or explosive Earl may be, but as good as he is, what's always impressed me most about him is how much he genuinely LOVES pool. Honestly I'm not sure anyone loves pool as much as Strickland does.

I insisted on learning to shoot jumpshots with a full length cue because of him. Once in a game of 9 ball, I pushed out to a table length jump shot, got the shot back, and made it. I like to think that wherever he is, he just knows when somebody does that and smiles a little inside.

Hellmuth is very good at NLHE tourneys and marketing. I'm not a fan, but those two facts are indisputable.

absolutely true.

the earl piece in the nyt a couple weeks ago was really good-video posted above--kind of a bummer where pool is now though. there are some really amazing players around now--i think way better than the past greats. and even with some of the good stuff happening --tar, streaming stuff etc. it's kinda hard to see it really going much further.